Rogers Expands 5G to Over 170 Markets and Announces Smart City Initiative with Communitech to Support the Future Prosperity of our Communities

Canada’s largest 5G network is also the most reliable, reaching 10 more cities and towns across British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario¹

Rogers partners with Communitech to develop 5G transportation solutions in Future of Cities collaborative

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rogers Communications today announced it is expanding its 5G service on Canada’s most trusted and reliable network to new communities in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec². Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network, powered exclusively by Ericsson, now reaches more than 170 communities nationwide with its expansion to the following 10 cities and towns:

Today Rogers also announced its participation in Communitech’s Future of Cities collaborative to develop 5G smart city solutions of the future. Smart cities are poised to change the way we live and work, contributing to the future efficiency and prosperity of our communities. 5G will play a critical role in enabling advanced applications such as traffic management for collision prevention, drone delivery, or energy efficient smart buildings. This collaborative brings together members of government, industry and academia to develop 5G smart city solutions for the cities of Waterloo and Brampton. This is part of Rogers multi-year partnership with Communitech to support the advancement of 5G innovation in Canada.

Quotes:

“As we continue to bring 5G to life, not only are we expanding to even more communities, we’re nurturing the right partnerships to bolster Canada’s 5G ecosystem and deliver the technology that will drive economic prosperity in our country and distinguish us globally,” said Jorge Fernandes, Chief Technology Officer at Rogers Communications. “Our partnership with the Future of Cities collaborative is part of our work to bring together researchers, businesses, start-ups and government to build made-in-Canada solutions and infrastructure to future-proof our cities to thrive in the digital age.”

“Gravenhurst is very excited to be included in this new 5G investment. Helping residents and visitors access the newest technology and the best connectivity possible continues to be a key goal in our economic development strategy. We look forward to the innovation that this will drive for both our businesses and residents.” – Mayor Paul Kelly, Gravenhurst

“With Pelham’s mix of urban and rural sectors, any advancement that helps connect our residents with friends, family, and businesses is positive. We’ve experienced a year of confirmation that our connections with one another and our local communities are paramount, and Rogers’ announcement will benefit those who live, work, and play in the Town of Pelham.” – Mayor Marvin Junkin, Pelham

“We are excited with the announcement that Rogers plans to expand their 5G network in the Town of Tecumseh. 5G technology will benefit our community by adding connection capacity, improving network speed and allowing for the development and implementation of new applications. This investment by Rogers will provide new opportunities for our businesses and residents.” – Mayor Gary McNamara, Tecumseh

“The arrival of 5G represents a tremendous technological leap forward enabling more information to be shared faster and more instantaneously. The benefit is not only direct communication, but will enable the advancement of autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, the internet of things and countless other innovative applications.” – Mayor Frank Campion, Welland

“We are stronger together than apart and have formed the Future of Cities collaborative to research and test solutions that will help our communities prepare for whatever the Future of Cities may entail,” said Joel Semeniuk, Vice President of Corporate Innovation at Communitech. “As a lead partner, Rogers brings a world-class 5G network and the expertise that will enable us to provide new innovations to our cities and support the growth and evolution of our urban centres across Canada.”

Quick Facts:

About 5G

• 5G will support a massive increase in the number of connected devices that require real time connectivity for applications like earthquake prevention using AI and machine learning, autonomous mining and smart city applications such as collision prevention
• Smart city traffic management solutions could deliver a 10% drop in commuter travel time that would increase productivity to help boost GDP by $270-million in Vancouver and $535-million in Montreal, according to a study for the Canadian Wireless and Telecommunications Association (CWTA)
• Wireless industry investments in 5G networks are expected to contribute an estimated $40 billion annually to the country’s economy and 250,000 permanent new jobs by 2026³

Rogers 5G

• As Canada’s largest and most reliable 5G network, Rogers offers 5G access to over 45% of Canadians and is now available in more than 170 cities and towns across the country
• Rogers announced Canada’s first 5G network and the nation’s first 5G standalone core in 2020

Rogers Award-Winning Network

• Rogers was awarded the best wireless network in Canada for the second year in a row in 2020 by umlaut. 
• Rogers was ranked number one in the West and Ontario in the J.D. Power 2020 Canada Wireless Network Quality Study 
• Ookla Speedtest reported that Rogers wireless delivers the most consistent speeds of any national wireless network in Canada in Q3 and Q4 of 2020; Ookla also confirmed Rogers had the highest time spent on 5G in Canada⁴
• Rogers has invested over $30 billion over the past 35 years to build Canada’s most trusted and reliable wireless network

About Rogers
Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

For more information
media@rci.rogers.com
1-844-226-1338

¹ Rogers was ranked first in the umlaut Mobile Data Performance audit in major Canadian cities in Q4, 2020. Visit www.umlaut.com/en/benchmarking/canada. Largest based on total square kilometers of Rogers 5G coverage compared to published coverage of other national networks.

² Most Trusted based on total wireless subscribers

³https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-112/Accenture-Accelerating-5G-in-Canada-PoV-2019.pdf#zoom=50

⁴https://www.speedtest.net/insights/blog/5g-canada-q4-2020/